Four Views of Her Majesty

 

1/31/26 Mt. Rainier from NE 80th Street I-5 overpass, Maple Leaf neighborhood

After sharing yet another sketch of Mt. Rainier (above), a friend who loves zines suggested that I publish one including all my sketches of Her Majesty. Well, I’m no Hokusai, and I didn’t think I had as many as 36 views of Mt. Rainier. I became curious, though, so I went to my Flickr account, where I have tried to be consistent in tagging subject matter. I was surprised to find that I had 32 sketches of Rainier (the earliest from 2015) – so when I add these, I’ll have exactly 36.

If I ever get motivated to publish a zine, I’ll know what to title it.

12/30/25 When I sketch Rainier from home, it's hardly ever at sunset, as the mountain is usually silhouetted by then or often obscured by haze, even if it was visible in the morning. This sketch was a rare occasion when the low west sun turned the clouds pink and gave a blush to one side of the peak. After I finished that sketch, I turned to the west to capture all the color.

Scratching the Mixed-Media Itch

 

1/31/26 photo reference (Inktense Blocks, Neocolor II crayons, Derwent Drawing pencil)

A funny thing happened on my way to doomscrolling prevention: I rekindled my love of mixed media! As much as I’ve wanted to explore mixed media in the past, it’s just not practical for me on location. About 10 years ago, I was using watercolors along with a variety of pens, markers, colored pencils and brush pens filled with my own ink mixes, and it was a lot to carry around. I clearly remember how much stuff I hauled around in Japan and France. Compared to my minimalist kit now, I’m amazed that I was willing to daily-carry all that, especially while traveling.

So far, I’m still not willing to carry everything I’d like to have on location, but my evening sketches from photos are scratching a latent mixed-media itch. They also raise a doubt: Would I even be able to make sketches like these on location? Even if I brought a stool (talk about a lot to haul – no way) or had a comfy bench, these all took quite a bit longer than I typically stay in one spot. I’ve made a few urban sketches with the addition of water-soluble crayons or blocks while standing, but it’s not ideal. I’d have to make fundamental changes in the way I prefer to sketch if I wanted to pursue mixed media on location.

Sketching is never quite as satisfying if I can’t do it in the field. It’s my continual dilemma. For now, though, I’ve accepted that using photo references scratches the itch to some degree. In fact, the sketch at top of post is from a photo I snapped at Ravenna ravine last summer. On a hot day, Roy, Mary Jean and I stayed cool in the ravine’s deep shade. On location, I had made my usual quick sketch to capture this unusual scene of a boardwalk that was built around a moss-covered glacial erratic. At the time, I wished I had been able to capture color and a better sense of scale. Working from a photo at my comfy desk, I could do that.

1/28/26 photo reference (Inktense Blocks, Neocolor II crayons)

The other two sketches shown here are from the same reference photos I used to sketch in monochrome. Above, from a neighborhood golden hour walk, is one I couldn’t have done on location even if I had tried, as the sun was dropping too quickly. Look how low the sun was – even the edge of the lawn is casting a shadow on the pavement. I concede: That’s one satisfaction I can’t get from sketching on location.

1/27/26 photo reference (Neocolor II crayons)

Henry

 

1/23/26 Henry (reference photo by Lori Merriam)

When a friend shared a photo on Facebook of her dog with a fresh haircut, Henry stole my heart. Posting another photo recently, she sadly reported that the elderly dog had to be put down. I went back through her images to find the one of Henry’s haircut. Drawing his sweet face brought me much joy; I hope it brings her some comfort.

Playing and Eating

 

1/30/26 Panama Hotel Cafe, Chinatown/International District

The Panama Hotel Café is one of our favorite places to sketch. Roy, Mary Jean and I hadn’t been able to get together since before Christmas, so it was especially fun to meet up there for a morning of art play. My view (at left) wasn’t especially fun to sketch, but I didn’t care; the Panama’s ambiance is quiet, relaxing and, we all agreed, comfortable as a second home.

More fun was when we began our portrait party. Taking turns as the sitter, we made blind contour drawings and also sketched with our non-dominant hand. Hilarious both ways!

Mary Jean with my right hand

Mary Jean as blind contour

Roy as blind contour

Roy with my right hand

For lunch we tried E-Jae Pak-Mor, a Thai restaurant that had received a favorable review recently in the Seattle Times. With many items on the menu that I don’t see on typical Thai menus, it was clear why the Times called it one of Seattle’s best restaurants. I hastily sketched my Pakmor salad bowl before devouring it.

E-Jae Pak Mor (journal page incorrectly dated)

Full of that delicious lunch, I still had one thing that had been weighing heavily on my mind all day: Jan. 30 was National Croissant Day! Where would I get a croissant in Chinatown/International District? Googling “croissants near me” yielded literally nothing within walking distance, but MJ recalled seeing croissants at Fuji Bakery. I’d only ever had their amazing Crunchy Creamy Malasada doughnut, which had blinded me to all other pastries at the time, but sure enough, Fuji offered many types of croissants, too. It was just as well that they have only a takeout counter and no seating area, as I was too full for one just then – but take one out I did.

Later at home, I enjoyed my pain au chocolat, relieved not to miss observing one of my favorite holidays of the year.

Eating and drawing with good friends – does it get any better?

Self-Care in Monochrome

 

1/28/26 photo reference (Derwent Drawing pencil in Zeta sketchbook)

Wanting to finish up that old Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook, which has a substantial tooth, I had been making my comfy, monochrome sketches in it. Although toothy paper is not usually recommended with soft colored pencils, I like it – the visible tooth imparts a rougher, unpolished look.

I had been thinking, though, how dreamy Derwent Drawing pencils would feel on smooth paper. After the Beta book was full, I pulled out a Stillman & Birn Zeta book, and holy-moly, my comfy, old robe grew a fleece lining! Not only did these sketches prevent me from doomscrolling; they quietly lulled me toward bedtime with their soothing comfort. I mean, seriously: Is there anything so relaxing as a soft pencil on smooth paper?

During these difficult times, when we’re bombarded with upsetting news daily, it’s reassuring to know that self-care can come from a colored pencil.

1/29/26 photo reference (two Drawing pencils used in this one)

Time Capsule

 

Eleven years to finish this sketchbook.

Only a few pages remained in this old Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook, which I began 11 years ago. I just finished filling them with my doomscrolling prevention program and other recent sketches made from photos at home.

The first several pages has sketches from Chandler O'Leary's workshop.

One reason it took so long to finish is that the book is spiralbound, a format I don’t like using in the field. Back then, with only a few years of sketching experience under my belt, I was still experimenting with different sketchbook papers and formats, and I didn’t know yet which worked best for me.

Thumbing through it before finally putting the book away on my completed sketchbook shelves, I felt a wave of nostalgia, poignancy and even sadness. The very first sketches in the book were those I made in an urban sketching workshop with Chandler O’Leary. They’re dated June 27, 2015. On a very hot day, we looked for compositions and made thumbnails at Lake Union Park. My memories, embedded in the pages, are bittersweet now because Chandler died in 2023 at the age of 41.

Lots of still lives

That workshop must have been where I realized I don’t like working around a cumbersome wire binding when I’m on location, as those are the only urban sketches in the book. Among the squashes, pencil sharpener and other still lives is my beloved “Stefano” portfolio. Sadly, I had decided that the beautiful, custom-made sketchbook cover, which had traveled with me to five countries, was no longer meeting my needs.

Exercises from Gal Cohen's online workshop

I also see some color swatches and media testing. After a long gap in time, I see assignments and exercises from Gal Cohen’s online workshop in 2024. The last dozen or so pages are some wacky palette experiments and other recent sketches.

Testing various water-soluble techniques

For many years now, my goal has been to minimize the number of sketchbooks I have in progress because I prefer to work through each one chronologically as much as possible. (That might be the goal, but I’m sure I still have a dozen going on concurrently.) I don’t like wide gaps of time within a book, and I certainly don’t want to take 11 years to fill one! Still, looking through this old Beta gave me a time capsule effect that I don’t get from looking at a sketchbook that I’ve filled in a few months. It’s precious in a different way.

Drippy acrylic inks?

Like a Comfy Robe

 

1/28/26 photo reference (Chocolate Derwent Drawing pencil in Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook)

Sometimes my Doomscrolling Prevention Program turns into simple media appreciation.

I began making monochrome mark-making exercises with an Ivory Black Derwent Drawing pencil because the set happened to be handy on my desk. It seemed like a good substitute for a soft graphite pencil, and it is. After having made several sketches with it, though, it’s much more than that: It’s like pulling on a comfy, old robe.

1/27/26 photo reference (Ivory Black Drawing pencil)

Unlike Holbein, which I deemed to be the colored pencil closest to graphite in the way it feels and applies, Derwent Drawing doesn’t feel like graphite; it’s too creamy and “lipsticky” for that. But that creaminess is what makes it so comforting to apply. A super-soft Japanese graphite pencil (8B? 10B?) would also feel luxuriously wonderful, but it would also smudge way more than a Drawing pencil does. And unlike graphite, Drawing pencils impart no reflective shine, so they appear as matte as velvet.

Although my monochrome sketches began as loosening-up exercises inspired by Orla Stevens’ YouTube, they morphed into value studies and then into basic monochrome sketches. It’s been a long time since I sketched in monochrome, and I’d forgotten how much I love this elegant simplicity, especially while “wearing” a comfy, old robe.